Public art design approved for Carlsbad’s Veterans Memorial Park

A design for a 16-foot-tall, 20-foot-wide circle called “The Ring” has been approved by the Carlsbad City Council for the public art project at the city’s new Veterans Memorial Park.

The contemplative piece will be installed on an upper plateau overlooking Agua Hedionda Lagoon at the 93.7-acre park being built near the northeast corner of Cannon Road and Faraday Avenue in the geographic center of the city.

“It is intended to serve as a symbolic portal that frames the horizon and invites stillness, introspection and connection with beautiful sweeping views of our lagoon and Carlsbad beyond,” said Craddock Stropes, the city’s cultural arts manager.

“It honors the service and sacrifice of the military, and its continuous form symbolizes the enduring nature of duty, unity and remembrance,” Stropes said.

Carlsbad began designing its newest and largest park in 2018, and the City Council approved a master plan for the site in 2022. It received 36 submissions in response to a call for artists’ proposals in 2023.

A public arts subcommittee reviewed the submissions and selected Gordon Huether and Partners, Inc. as the preferred artist. Huether has extensive experience with large-scale public art projects honoring the military and public safety professionals. He also served 20 years on Napa’s city planning commission.

The Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to proceed with the design. A final design with detail drawings and specifications and a contract for fabrication will be presented to the council by the end of the year. The city has appropriated $475,000 for the art element.

The park’s memorial plaza will have a wall with panels honoring each branch of the military services and bronze plaques with inscriptions.

The master plan designates more than half of the property to remain as undeveloped open space with preserved native habitat.

One of the park’s largest features will be a family bike park with various courses for riders with different abilities. Also planned are playgrounds, picnic areas, exercise stations, trails, parking and restrooms.

The park’s total estimated construction cost is $55.4 million, city officials have said. Most of the money needed has been collected over the years from fees paid by developers into a community facilities district created in 1991.